The Australian Hand Soap I'm Obsessed With

I am not a fancy hand soap kind of person. I did not grow up in a home with fancy hand soap. I did not know people with fancy hand soap. And I did not, as a fledgling adult, suddenly acquire a love of fancy hand soap. So, it is something of a mystery to me that I am willing to pay a small fortune for a particular Australian hand soap.

Do you know the one I'm talking about?

(Image credit: Aesop)

I'm definitely not alone in my admiration for Aesop hand soaps — or hand washes, as they call them. (They are fancy!) I have spotted the telltale dark-amber bottles in my friends' kitchens; I have seen them, too, in hipster bars and restaurants. If I go to the ladies' room and there is Aesop soap, it's possible it makes my food taste better. That's how much I love this soap.

To be honest, I couldn't say with 100 percen certainty whether it is the soap itself or the combination of the soap and the packaging. The soap is effective (as, I assume, are most), it's not overly drying, it doesn't leave any residual stickiness, and it smells really good. I'm partial to Geranium Leaf, which is technically a body cleanser, but the hand wash comes in Resurrection (with mandarin, rosemary, and cedar) and Reverence (with vetiver and bergamot).

But this is also one handsome bottle and, since I don't like to clutter up my kitchen counters with much of anything, it's a definite plus that my hand soap isn't an eyesore.

All of this lets me (sort of) justify the expense — a whopping $39 for 17 ounces, which lasts me at least several months. What can I say? It sparks joy.